How Men Can Live Longer

How to live longer

Day in, day out, I tell guys that a body—like a car—is a lot easier and cheaper to maintain than to fix. But I don't think most of them appreciate how much easier and cheaper prevention is than treatment.

The number crunchers tell me that, on average, Americans now live to be 75, 30 years more than they did in 1900. Is that because of modern medical miracles?

Not for the most part. According to the Public Health Service, only five of those years were gained from treatments. The other 25 are the result of better nutrition, sanitation, and occupational safety.

Today, roughly half of the people who die short of their normal life expectancy succumb to "personal behaviors that can be modified." Chief among those behaviors are smoking, poor diet, and lack of exercise.

Another 20 percent of the premature deaths are linked to genetic factors. We may not be entirely able to prevent these problems. But early detection, which can be enhanced by a knowledge of our genetic heritage, makes treatment easier and more successful.

Environmental problems such as air and water pollution account for another 20 percent of the early deaths in our country. As individuals, we may not be able entirely to avoid pollution, but as a society, we can prevent it.

Let's see, I think that leaves us with the last 10 percent—deaths that can be attributed to inadequate medical care.

In one sense, that last 10 percent is a compliment to the thoroughness of the medical system. Most people get the treatment they need. On the other hand, 95 percent of the trillion dollars we spend each year on health care go to treatment, so it ought to be good.

The other 90 percent make it obvious that the way to lower the tab for health care is to devote more attention to preventing disease. And men—with their resume of self-destructive behaviors—should be a particularly fruitful target. After all, you could say that, on average, a man dies seven years prematurely, since that's how much longer the average woman lives.

Taking personal responsibility for preventing disease requires a fundamental change in male attitudes, but that watershed is coming. Death certificates may not yet say, "Cause of death: cigarettes, whiskey, french fries, and too much television," but we're getting the idea.

In the long run, living longer and living better is an easy sell. There's not much worth more, and the price is right.

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